The one piece of equipment everyone should have.

[Safeway]

A pull-up bar!

Pull-ups strengthen:
1) Back
2) Shoulders
3) Bicep
3) Deltoid
4) many, many others.

Pull-ups are a compound exercise for your upper body.

Link to bars:
Amazon.com Pull-up Bars

Different bars are available. Some screw into a door frame, others rest on top of the frame. I have used both, and have never had a bar fail on me, even when I was ~225 pounds.

 

[purbeast0]

the one piece of equipment everyone should have is that little card that says you have a gym membership.

 

[paulxcook]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
the one piece of equipment everyone should have is that little card that says you have a gym membership.

I second this. I tried the home workout thing for a while and it's actually easier (for me anyway) to commit to leaving my house to work out.

 

[HN]

I think if it's just one piece, then i'd go with one of them power station things. has the pull up bar for things OP mentions plus the bars for dips. now you're covered.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: paulxcook

Originally posted by: purbeast0
the one piece of equipment everyone should have is that little card that says you have a gym membership.

I second this. I tried the home workout thing for a while and it's actually easier (for me anyway) to commit to leaving my house to work out.

in general when you have stuff right at your fingertips you tend to put it off ... and then put it off some more ... and then some more.

i think that's just humans in nature, we'll say "oh i'll do it in 10 minutes" next thing you know it's time to go to sleep.

this actually happened to me when I was doing cardio. i would lift at the gym and then come home and do cardio in my apartment complex at like 10pm when no one else was in there. after having less motivation to do that after about 2 weeks, i just decided to stay at the gym 20 minutes longer and do it there.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: paulxcook

Originally posted by: purbeast0
the one piece of equipment everyone should have is that little card that says you have a gym membership.

I second this. I tried the home workout thing for a while and it's actually easier (for me anyway) to commit to leaving my house to work out.

in general when you have stuff right at your fingertips you tend to put it off ... and then put it off some more ... and then some more.

i think that's just humans in nature, we'll say "oh i'll do it in 10 minutes" next thing you know it's time to go to sleep.

this actually happened to me when I was doing cardio. i would lift at the gym and then come home and do cardio in my apartment complex at like 10pm when no one else was in there. after having less motivation to do that after about 2 weeks, i just decided to stay at the gym 20 minutes longer and do it there.

I'm sort of the opposite. The further I have to go to get to the gym, the less likely I am to go. When I had a membership to an external gym, I rarely went because it was a pain the butt to bring my stuff to work, then walk over and get changed, etc.

Once I moved into a building with very good facilities, I found I was at the gym more often than I ever was before, mainly because of the convenience. The fact that I do not even have to go outside, plus I can change in my apartment, then shower in my apartment right after, just makes me much more likely to go.

KT

 

[zebano]

I've only been at this since xmas, but I've had no problems staying motivated to do cardio at home. Just pop a movie in (or watch hockey) and I can go forever.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: paulxcook

Originally posted by: purbeast0
the one piece of equipment everyone should have is that little card that says you have a gym membership.

I second this. I tried the home workout thing for a while and it's actually easier (for me anyway) to commit to leaving my house to work out.

in general when you have stuff right at your fingertips you tend to put it off ... and then put it off some more ... and then some more.

i think that's just humans in nature, we'll say "oh i'll do it in 10 minutes" next thing you know it's time to go to sleep.

this actually happened to me when I was doing cardio. i would lift at the gym and then come home and do cardio in my apartment complex at like 10pm when no one else was in there. after having less motivation to do that after about 2 weeks, i just decided to stay at the gym 20 minutes longer and do it there.

I'm sort of the opposite. The further I have to go to get to the gym, the less likely I am to go. When I had a membership to an external gym, I rarely went because it was a pain the butt to bring my stuff to work, then walk over and get changed, etc.

Once I moved into a building with very good facilities, I found I was at the gym more often than I ever was before, mainly because of the convenience. The fact that I do not even have to go outside, plus I can change in my apartment, then shower in my apartment right after, just makes me much more likely to go.

KT

yah that definitely makes sense. if my apartment had a true gym i'd probably lift there too, but it has a "fitness center" which consists of 2 treadmills, 2 elipticals, 1 bike, 4 back to back to back to back machines, and dumbells that go to like 10lbs.

 

[skace]

The pull-up bar is a good choice, but I don't have one, which means it isn't essential. I'd say dumbbells, but I don't really need those, I mean, I need them in the long run, but if I was missing them for a day, I could work myself around a good air routine that would exhaust a large number of muscles pretty well.

With that in mind, I'm drawing a blank, the one piece of equipment everyone should have is determination. Because anyone, anywhere, has a workout at their fingertips. They just need to open up their eyes and put forth the effort. Even if this means running around your house and lifting stones.

The equipment I could do the most with but that isn't essential would be 2 variable weight dumbbells and some plates.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Agreed.

I put one up in the entry to the bathroom. Before I go in I do as many pull ups i can to failure. This makes a huge difference FAST!

I doubled my reps in 3 weeks.

 

[TallBill]

I would have said "Power Rack"

 

[theLION]

I totally agree with the OP. I ALWAYS tell my friends and relatives to invest in a pull-up bar.

If cost wasn't much of an issue, then i would agree with TallBill - a power rack!!

 

[zebano]

For all of you advocating a pull up bar - Do you do pull ups or chin ups?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: zebano
For all of you advocating a pull up bar - Do you do pull ups or chin ups?

You can do both, obviously, but I usually don't have any trouble hitting my biceps and such with lifts, so I usually do the pullups for the extra workout on the back and shoulders.

 

[RagingBITCH]

What pur said - gym membership. I guess if there was one piece of equipment I use a lot at the gym, probably a power rack/cage. Serves multiple purposes for a lot of different body parts.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: HN
I think if it's just one piece, then i'd go with one of them power station things. has the pull up bar for things OP mentions plus the bars for dips. now you're covered.

Some also have grips for incline push-ups.

Other piece of equipment I recommend - weight belt

 

[Ktulu]

Squat Rack

/Thread

 

[cKGunslinger]

Kettelbell!

 

[Slufa111]

Originally posted by: Ktulu
Squat Rack

/Thread

agreed x10000000000

 

[Maleficus]

The pull-up bar is a good choice, but I don't have one, which means it isn't essential.

Good reasoning

 

[irishScott]

A rowing machine. Everything a pull-up bar does, and then some. Plus excellent cardio.